From the 1973 yearbook	From the 1986 yearbook	From the 1995 yearbook	From the 2004 yearbook

The officers and members of the Jacksonville Retired Firefighter Association are saddened to report that

Retired JFRD Engineer Raymond "Ray" O' Dwyer passed away Thursday August 19, 2021.

He spent several years at station 29 and retired from station 30.

Please keep his wife Mary, children, family, and friends in your prayers.

Funeral arrangements for Fund member retired Engineer Raymond "Ray" B. O'Dwyer, Jr., have been released.

A celebration of life is scheduled starting at noon Saturday, August 28, 2021 at

Ramallah American Club, 3130 Parental Home Road, Jacksonville, FL 32216.
 

A burial service at the Jacksonville National Cemetery will be scheduled at a later date.

Engineer O'Dwyer, or Ray as he would prefer, passed away at 1:36 a.m., Thursday, August 19, 2021. He was hospitalized at Baptist Medical Center-South at the time of his death and had been there since mid-July.

Engineer O'Dwyer, or Ray as he would prefer, passed away at 1:36 a.m., Thursday, August 19, 2021. He was hospitalized at Baptist Medical Center-South at the time of his death and had been there since mid-July.

Ray served the JFRD for 35 years, starting in 1969 and retiring on July 4, 2004. His rookie assignment was Station 19. Over the years he also served as Stations 18, 29, 44 and finally 30. Prior to his JFRD service he worked as a firefighter at Mayport Naval Station for a few years. And Ray's father was an active member of the Hogan-Spring Glen Volunteer Fire Department when Ray was growing up.
Ray had a lively personality, energetic, loud at times, full of life and never short of an opinion. He possessed a great sense of humor and told funny stories. He could be an accomplished prankster as well. This writer's favorite Ray story concerns the time his cookie snacks were being eaten by his station mates at 18. One day Ray filled the cookie box with dog biscuits and left it out knowing the contents would be eaten. After he found the box empty he retrieved the dog biscuit box and threw it on the dining room table so all could know they had been eating dog biscuits.
Please remember Ray's family as they navigate this difficult time. And thank you Ray for the many pleasant memories and your sacrifice and service to the citizens of Jacksonville. May you rest in peace